Objective: Disturbances in catecholamine transmission have been implicated in schizophrenia. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase catalyses the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine in noradrenergic cells. We attempted to investigate a putative functional promoter polymorphism in the dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene (DBH) for association with schizophrenia.
Methods: Unrelated schizophrenic patients (n=155) and control subjects (n=436) were analysed with regard to the DBH -1021 C/T variant.
Results: No significant allele or genotype differences were found.
Conclusions: The present results do not support a major involvement of the DBH gene in schizophrenia in the Swedish population investigated.